can touching foxglove leaves cause poisoning

15. September 2020 @ 14:19

So my friend said “alright, you can have it”. I visited a nursery and was going through through and was admiring foxglove flowers and thinking how I would love to have them.

Well, Sunday afternoon I began to notice these very small bumps on my face that almost looked like poison oak, except they weren’t itching quite like poison oak because I have had an experience with that. However, if foxglove spreads seeds and thus plants are coming up in unwanted places around people that are unaware of the dangers, perhaps responsible growers should remove the flower heads before they go to seed (at least in areas where they are not already very common and understood.) When this leaking fluid accumulates in the skin, it forms the small swellings that we recognize as hives.Foxglove, also called Digitalis purpurea, is a common biennial garden plant that contains digitoxin, digoxin, and other cardiac glycosides. I am going to try Witch-hazel tonight, as a last ditch attempt. Then I got a lump on the bone that goes from my wrist to my elbow on my right arm. Several comments on this thread mentioned similar responses. The foxglove will be pulled immediately with long sleeves and gloves! I am presently self medicating and will report on the progress.Whilst I do appreciate the fact that foxgloves should be handled with great care, I must stress that they are so common in Germany and Britain, where I live now, and I have never come across any illnesses or even fatalities caused by these absolutely beautiful plants. I replanted them, without gloves. I appreciate that there may be a tiny number of people who have unusual reactions but I would expect them to be documented by cast-iron testing and medical evidence, not half-baked assertions of the “I had an itch and finally realized it must be the foxglove I handled days ago because I heard they were poisonous” variety.

In fact, I would not have even noticed them today if my hands had not been in the sun on the steering wheel. I read your warning, however, just 15 minutes ago and quickly removed it placing it carefully in a lawn bag. My daughter planted them a couple of weeks ago, and she developed a severe case of hives. Still stinging as I type this. I was working in my garden today and upon pulling my fox glove, I was sprayed all over by the seeds of the plant. !I have since dug them out and thrown them away (which was foolish can I say, as I had a full-on intense reaction almost seconds later, confirming that this plant was at fault!) My father-in-law, who has an elaborate garden and is a very avid wildflower enthusiast, informed us tonight that these plants are poisonous after having told him we planted some in the yard. And he’s been vigilant in keeping the foxgloves at bay in our yard using gloves!

Drying does not reduce the toxicity of the plant. First I wasn’t sure which plants flowers I was allergic to, and I then found that it was the foxglove I was allergic to. I merrily planted them and was so happy because next year I was going to have beautiful flowers. Can you imagine if my kids were shopping around with me and touched this thing while I was happily admiring this poisonous plant with them??? I felt a little drowsy and lay down. Hallelujah! Digitalis is poisonous; it can be fatal even in small doses. That’s when my friend’s older brother put some rubbing alcohol on the place and it stopped bothering me. I have since spent loads of money on anti-histamines, creams, doctors, and even went to a skin specialist about this allergic reaction (but not knowing what caused it!) I went into the house when done, had lunch and took a shower. So, I’m with one of the commenters, if they are so poisonous, why aren’t the people who work with them at Lowe’s and other retail outlets getting sick? I was at Southern States and got attracted to a pot of this plants. I also had pain in my ears, the joints of my wrists hurt, and the list goes on.I phoned a lot of nurseries and the one I spoke to actually sounded interested. It was the original source of the drug called digitalis.Originally introduced into this America from Europe as an ornamental garden plant, foxglove may now be found wild in a few localities in parts of Oregon, Washington, and West Virginia, having escaped from cultivation and assumed the character of a weed. I once used the word “foxglove” in a poem inspired by a child. I can’t believe they sell this in the store with no warning. Then my neck, chest, hands, and later more parts of me were itching like crazy. I have not heard of too many instances of breathing problems from foxglove. I am insisting that my wife rid our home of these poison plants so that neither I nor my kids ever experience this misery again.

DO NOT use it to treat or manage an actual poison exposure. Only a block from home and I started feeling very strange like I was going to pass out. According to my friend, that area had never had dandelions before!